This disclosure relates to a quick connect pipe rack module for use in a multi-module processing facility that may be quickly assembled and/or dismantled reducing site construction costs and increasing efficient relocation of the modules.
As the cost of large site fabricated process facilities has climbed, the industry has adopted modular construction as a means of shifting large volumes of construction labor to more efficient fabrication centers.
An oil processing facility typically is made up of a number of modules requiring multiple complex permanent connections that must be made in the field requiring significant amounts of field work in making the connections in environmental conditions that at times are severe. Furthermore, these modular facilities are not designed to be dismantled and relocated at some point in their service life, but rather are designed for use in the original construction site until the end of their service life.
Current modular construction and assembly strategy of modular processing facilities are not intended to be reversible and have not resulted in capital cost reductions that were targeted.
Despite the efficiency gains through modular construction, capital projects have experienced unprecedented escalation. Concurrently, companies have continually increased the capacity of processing facilities in pursuit of economies of scale, resulting in increased disproportionate complexity to modular construction (higher capacity increases the number of modules and often results in multiple trains of equipment to fit within individual modules). This modular construction strategy leaves a substantial amount of work to be conducted in the field as well as limits the achievable economies of scale.
By increasing the amount of work that may be completed in manufacturing facilities distant from the oil processing site, economies of scale may be achieved by constructing numerous modules of the same design. Mass production efficiency gains may result in capital cost savings even when scale of equipment and facilities increase, allowing design capacity to be tailored to suit specific needs.
For many complex processing facilities, it is not uncommon at some point in their operating life that market conditions, feedstock constraints or other socio-economic pressures may render these facilities uneconomic, at which point it would be advantageous to be able to efficiently relocate such facilities to a location that would restore economic viability.
For example, natural gas based petrochemical facilities constructed in North America in the early 1980s took advantage of plentiful inexpensive natural gas. As natural gas costs rose in the early 2000s, these facilities were shut down and dismantled. Had the facilities been designed to be portable, the facilities could have been efficiently relocated to places where inexpensive natural gas was abundant such as the Middle East, where new facilities were constructed during this period. A few years later, the shale gas boom resulted in the long-term collapse of North American natural gas prices, providing an opportunity to relocate facilities from abroad back to North America.
Portability may also reduce inefficient field work which increases cost savings. In addition, portability may also provide flexibility such that the facilities may be well utilized through their full life cycle.
Portability may also reduce impact on the environment by reducing the facility footprint, reducing human intrusion (construction labor, temporary facilities and accommodations, infrastructure) into environmentally sensitive areas, and facilitating faster and lower cost site remediation.